I failed to post this comment from an anonymous reader regarding the recent discussion about housewives, stay-at-home moms and domestic engineers. The reader wrote:

Perhaps a married woman who works outside the home for wages could be called a jobwife.  

Personally I like homemaker or homekeeper better than the term housewife since a wife is married to her husband, not the house, and also the word home has a deeper meaning than the word house. As is said, not every house is a home. 

The response from many people is pity for a wife who says she is raising her children, but they would probably think how dedicated she is, how noble, if she would say she acclimates newcomers to this country by having them live in her home and training them how to speak the language, become mobile, learn to read and write, become useful citizens, and deal with the American culture without losing their sanity. 

And that is just part of child-rearing. There is also the spiritual aspect of discipling an eternal being. Raising children is one of the greatest privileges and responsibilites on the planet.

                                                    — Comments —

Thomas F. Bertonneau writes: 

The discussion of domesticity reminded me wickedly of one of my favorite Henny Youngman jokes. 

“My wife complained of all the housework she had to do. So I bought her an electric blender, an electric toaster, and an electric bread maker. Then she said, ‘There are too many electric gadgets in this house and there’s no place to sit down!’ So I bought her an electric chair.” (Rimshot!)

Laura writes:

That’s a very sexist joke.

Mr. Bertonneau writes: 

You wrote, “That’s a very sexist joke.” 

All of the really good ones are. 

Here is Henny Youngman himself in a rapid-fire clip of “wife jokes.”

Laura writes:

My husband met Mr. Youngman once (when the comedian was 90 years old or so) and he was a bad influence. My husband is fond of saying, “Take my wife – please.”

Here’s another classic Henny Youngman joke:

My wife woke up, her hair in curlers, her robe a mess, and she heard the garbage truck outside. She said, “Oh, no. I forgot to take out the garbage!”

So she ran to the curb with the garbage bag in her hand and said to the garbage man, “Am I too late?”

The garbage man replied, “No, hop in!”

Laura adds:

Henny Youngman liked to say, “The secret to a happy marriage is ….  a secret.”

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